PUBLIC WORKS.
Mayor Davidson of Baltimore has recommended to the city council the appointment of a special commission to investigate the subject of a general sewerage system for the city, and report some plan, with estimate of cost.
The appropriations at Worcester, Mass., for the year foot up $1,168,500. Included are $113,000 for the highway department, $80,000 for street lighting, and $50,000 for the construction of sewers.
The selectmen of Laconia, N. II., estimate the expense of the proposed sewerage system at $80,000.
The contractor has begun digging the new well for the waterworks at Piqua, Ohio.
A bill has passed the Tennessee senate authorizing Greeneville to issue water-works bonds.
A Berkeley (Cal.) item of February 20, says: “ B. McMahon will leave the first of next month for Victoria, B, C., to superintend the laying of an extensive sewer system lor which G. McBean is the contractor.
Mendon, Mich., will not issue bonds to pay for public improvements.
Says the Holyoke (Mass.) News : “ The city will soon have to bear another big expense in building a new sewer on hront street. It will be remembered that a large portion of this sewer caved in early in the fall. Since then it has been con-stantly falling in little by little until it now looks as if an entire new sewer will have to be constructed, which will cost the city at least $30,000.”
Fond du Lac, Wis., is talking of expending $20,000 upon new school buildings.
A larger sewer will be built through Weiss street in Paterson, N. J.
It is proposed at Cleveland, Ohio, to issue $292,000 in bonds to provide for the paving of a number of streets.
Over 400 men arc at work on the new sewerage system at Fort Worth, Tex.
It is stated that work will be begun about April I upon the proposed tunnel under the East River between Atlantic avenue, Brooklyn, and Whitehall street, New York.
In the case of the Buffalo (N. Y.) sewer contractors, convicted of conspiracy to defraud the city. Judge Beckwith has granted a stay of sentence until April 6, in order to give the attorney for the defense time in which to prepare papers for an appeal on the exceptions taken at the trial.
It is now expected that the work of constructing Waltham’s (Mass.) system of sewers will be commenced within thirty days. The contracts recently awarded call for its completion this year. There arc about thirty-five miles of pipe to be laid, and it is proposed to push the work very rapidly when once it is started.
Paw Paw (Mich.) citizens want to vote whether or not to issue $30,000 worth of improvement bonds.
John P. Force has been appointed city engineer of Fostoria, O.. in place of G. D. llersey, resigned.
Win E. Chamberlain has been appointed commissioner of public works at Providence, R. I., to succeed John A. Coleman.
Taunton, Mass., is anxious for a system of drainage.
Citizens of Elmira, N. Y., will petition the legislature for • authority to bond the city for $370,000 for the following purposes: $100,000 for streets; $75,000 for sewers; $70,000 for city hall; $35,000 for fire department; $15,000 for police department; $75,000 for school purposes.
The city government committee on sewers of Chicopee, Mass., has voted to ask for an appropriation of $7000. Of this amount about $1500 will be spent at Chicopee Falls. The appropriations will nearly complete a sewerage system of the city if all are passed. The highway committee has estimated the needs of the department at $16,200.
Saranac, Mich., wants to bond itself for public improvements.
The Greenfield (Mass.) Courier calls for action at the April town meeting upon the matter of an improved system of sewerage.
The Philadelphia Board of Surveyors has approved ordinances for the construction of a number of new sewers.
Fremont, Ohio, will issue $6500 worth of sewer bonds.
Lamar County, Texas, has appropriated $3000 to help the city of Paris to construct a sewerage system.
A dispatch from Reading, Pa., says: ” Another movement has been started for the introduction of a system of house drainage in the lower section of the city, and a bill has been introduced in select councils authorizing the city engineer to make an estimate of the cost of establishing the system in the district south of Penn and west of Thirteenth street. The plan contemplates the carrying of the sewage to Independence Island, in the Schuylkill, where it will be manufactured into fertilizers.”